This blog is born to share with you the insights and the jewels I was gratefully gathering as my son and I traveled to the Four Corners of the United States to join the Wisdom of the Elders of many people,many tribes,one voice. Through this journey the need for Unity crystallized for me:to inspire and support our youth to unite with each other,to care for each other,and to be empowered to care for the Earth.

I welcome your comments,questions and support.

It’s time for change. It’s time to listen to Ancient Wisdom,Earth Unity.

Called Larry:I shared with him my thoughts of joining forces with others,and abouthoping to create such a public relations “nightmare” that any corporation or body ofgovernment would want to back off.

He listened intently,didn’t interject even when there was space to,which took me bysurprise.

I finished with him just listening,and thinking. The only input he offered was about Hopiand how there is a land issue that keeps the two,them and Navajo,disassociated,unableto join forces.

I asked him about the meeting. The Navajo mining uranium-polluted water issue meeting.

“I’m going to pass on it,” he said

I realized I was really foregoing attending the Hopi Home Dance on second mesa,but Itold him sincerely that I would take him to the meeting if he really wanted to go,that Iwas up for it. He said he was going to make a call and call me back. I didn’ t expect himto take that step,to consider accepting,and when he called back he said OK. Anotherstep I really wasn’ t expecting. Carl was up for it as well,didn’ t hesitate,didn’ t have anissue with foregoing the home dance – it was all about Larry and his meeting.

So we picked him up and headed out there. He wasn’t kidding when he had said it wasout in the boondocks. It was about a 2-hour drive,about 1 ½ hours of it off the highwayinto Navajo reservation land. About an hour and ¼ of the drive was not paved. There wasnothing out there except for a few horses and cattle. At one point after much driving,Ihad a flashing vision of many cars and thought that it couldn’t be this meeting;it wasway out there for there to be so many cars. About 2 minutes later we came up over a littlehill where you couldn’t see the other side until the top,and there were scads of cars,cars,cars.

Wow. A lot of cars,it seemed,for such a remote place. But the issue is a serious one,alltheir water supply polluted with uranium and arsenic,not only not drinkable,of thepeople drinking it during the last 60 years or so,many had died of an unusually high rateof cancer and other diseases,and other illnesses. They also talked of babies withdeformities not previously known to them. After the mines were shut down in the ’30s,many were left open that should have been covered. Rain water got into them for years,saturating the minerals and driving them down into the water table. Wells and springsbecame contaminated and it was many years before they figured out what had gonewrong. Now they’re looking for 2 things:drinkable water,and public access togovernment information about the mining and the effects.

The latter is basically sothat they can ensure accountability about the state of the water and a commitment toproviding clean water.

We drove up to park,all dirt and rocks,to a house with many people inside carrying on ameeting,and people standing around outside taking the meeting in from there. It wasreally amazing “waking up” to a meeting with all natives,Navajo natives. How the heckdid we get there?

I asked Larry if he wanted Carl and I to wait outside,he said,“No,come on in.” He led,careful to make sure I was behind him all the way until we got to the back of the room,then set up 3 chairs. And when I tuned in to the words being said,I couldn’t understandthem! They were speaking native tongue – silly,but I hadn’t considered that. I had heardLarry and

Betty speaking their native tongue,but didn’t translate that to,or just didn’tfully comprehend the depth of indigenous attendance at this meeting. It was beautiful tolisten to.

Carl was fixated – listening intently. When I gave him “permission” to look around at allthe faces,feel their energy,feel how important this issue is to them,he did,staying witheach face until he was ready to move on. He had no issue with boredom the entire day– he did have his DS to play with in the car later,but even after that he had taken a hikeover a hill,collected rocks,threw rocks,etc.

Larry introduced me to several people,some family members – aunts,uncles – and tosome other people key to the movement of the issue. To each I heard him tell them alittle about me and the ideas I had shared with him this morning!

He was putting it outthere! He remembered the details I had told him about Haleakala and the proposedtelescope,and about joining forces with what he called “minority groups.”Just prior tothese introductions to the “political” people,a man spoke for about 30 minutes in nativetongue,and at one point Larry turns rather slowly and looks me directly in the eye andsays,“He has the same idea you do” and seemed to contemplate his own words.

It was about raising so much focus,a raucous,on the issue to make it unpleasant for thegovernment not to fix the problem. This seemed to be a confirmation to Larry,enough tonow put the ideas out there,all the ideas and all the information he thought pertinent topresent it well. I waited to see if he wanted me to speak for myself,but he had all theinformation and presented it so well,and with confidence not even looking for me to saya word until point of contact was eminent. Wow.

And it turns out that their advocate is already planning,knowing how essential it is,national awareness. I spoke with her after the meeting and she was completely up for thetask of signing mutual,what she called,“Resolutions of Support” with the Hawaiian’scauses. She had done it before,and agreed that it is now necessary to take it the nextlevel with other cultures. She is not an appointed representative of the Navajo Nation,but clearly has a great hand in helping to lead causes for these people. She and her creware actually filing a law suit on Monday against Navajo Nation government board for therampant spending of money that has not been approved by the people.2 other people I spoke with,a woman who is into helping causes by other cultures,Alaska for one,would like to hold further conversation with me – very interested injoining forces so this conversation would be about taking the next step in that direction,and the other woman one who wrote an article about the water in the Gallup,NMnewspaper.

When I walked up to say goodbye to the few people left at the meeting,shewas one of them,pointed to me and said,

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet you. I’d love tohear about what you’re doing.” So I took her hand,told her my name,she told me hers,I shook her hand and said,“We’ve now met.”I asked her for contact information so thatwe could continue another time. She asked briefly about me in reference to what she’dheard from Larry,and something lead me to tell her about having been guided to go toMaui to set up a spiritual healing and awakening center. Big smile on her face,boththumbs up,and she said,“We have to talk.”

And now that I think about it her work as a writer could be a joining force between theNavajo and others. She would particularly like to go to Hawai`i so there’s great interestthere. We all decided that the next meeting should be held in Hawai`i…

These people were sweet with Carl and I. We got offered food from a man;I sent Carlto get some for himself. When Larry got served some food the woman offered me some,I declined. Larry asked me if I was sure I didn’t want to eat and I told him I would getsome a little later. I didn’t feel right taking their food. He turned to start eating and thefirst man that offered food said something to Larry,Larry turned to me and said,“He saysyou should get something to eat.” The man just looking at me,dropped his concern whenI said that I would. And so I did.

I went into the kitchen to find a crew of people making fry bread (which I’ve discovered Ireally like) and just organizing food. Wow,just like Mexico or Peru.

Afterwards I went back in and offered to help in the kitchen and was given the task ofcleaning out a very large pot by a man “in charge”.A woman hands me the pot and as she gingerly shrugs her shoulders says,“I don’t knowwhat with.”She asked,“Where’s the water?” as I’m wondering if there even is any water!He says,“We don’t have any water. There’s drinking water,but don’t use that,use thaturanium water” and turns away.

I seriously couldn’t tell if he was joking,but I had a task at hand either way. A youngman offered me water with bleach in it for dish washing. I made a decision,and walkedthrough the meeting with the pot in my hands,knowing Larry was going to seriouslywonder what was going on. I took it to the car,enlisted Carl’s help,found the liquidCastille soap I had bought for our own dish washing,got a little drinking water and somepaper towels,and cleaned the pot the way I would camping,with little water. Carried thepot back in and handed it to one of the women,and the bottle of soap to another tellingher what it was and that I could leave it. It turns out she loves castile soap,but had onlyseen it in bar form,AND turns out also this was her house.

She and another womanasked who I was,I told them I came with Larry,and after mentioning Hawai`i it turns outthat both have family in Hawai`i. When I asked if there was anything else I could do athird woman walked up and said,pointing to a more challenging pot and a fewbowls,“These need to be washed.”Not quite sure how to take the first request to cleanthe pot,this time I took it as a compliment. In the meantime,the same young man hadbrought in a bowl of fresh water (not uranium) and I washed the items in the samemanner as before. The man “in charge” had sat for awhile and having apparently watchedme clean,said,“You have that water conservation thing down.”

He then proceededtelling me funny stories,and was really nice,sweet,the rest of the time.It’s just a story about washing a pot,but the best part was when I went to sit back downin the meeting,and the man that had me get my food leaned over and asked me,whispering,“What did you carry in?” I thought for a moment until I felt him wonderabout the delay,then I answered,“A clean pot.”He thought for a moment,then laughedout loud!

Later as an older woman was leaving she was shaking everyone’s hand. I heard hertelling them words in Navajo,and when she came to me she had a few words in Navajoas well. As she passed,this same man leaned over again and said,

“She says you willmake a good truck driver one day.” My delay in laughing was the same as his had been –he got me back. I’m sure he was pleased – I could feel him smiling.

Malamalama means the “Light of Knowledge”in Hawaiian. This organization,which I am proudly a part of,is bringing hands into the Earth,children into themselves,and beauty into the world. Please help support us in whatever way you can.

As if that is not enough,there are some deliciously happy coffee trees growing on the land too!

Shared a table at dinner with a man and woman who are devoted to sustainable food:he is working at the problem of energy,says that even the typical renewable energy is a finite source. Great sharing at dinner,great exchange.

The ride was remarkable – so much fun!! Carl and I turned the lights off and lay together looking out the window,watching the land go by. During the night I woke up frequently,looking to get comfortable in the small bed with Carl,and enjoying each episode looking out the window for a little while – how cool.

We got in at 5 a.m. and the exchanges for this journey began:gifts came at a surprising rate. As we get off the train,an older man mentions Venus looking at the sky; upon inquiry he pointed it out,then had me step back so he could show me Jupiter as well! He was a retired astronomy professor. He gave me a handout pointing out the sights this month. We exchanged information – he is going to Tahiti next year and wondered about stopping on Maui first,staying at Kolealea.

A quote from Art:Thinking that man is divine over other animals causes us to do things that are ecologically insupportable. So perhaps the question is not only “who am I?” anymore,but “what am I?”

If we accept what our basic needs are as human animals,and tend to those needs first,then perhaps other things that we do,and material things that we get in search of comfort,will become less important and we will become less inclined to seek them,sometimes even unknowingly at great ecological cost. As also stated in Art’s book,our needs are these:Health,Learning,Peace,and Love.

And there is a wonderful difference between us and other animals:We have a choice. A choice of how to live.

And so perhaps it is time to put Lifestyle on the agenda,more seriously than most of us ever have,of what to do to change the World.

So a resulting question of the night was “Are we ready to change our lifestyle to heal the Earth? And to live in a way that is in balance with Nature?”

I believe that everything is divine! Including this planet. And so it is time to further ground ourselves into our human bodies and behave more responsibly towards the Earth – it is such a Gift!

Pow Wow in Temecula exceptional – a couple hundred native Americans in their dress performing dances – beautiful,amazing. From different nations – some even from as far as Wyoming. It was,after all,an “all nations” event. Carl was kind of fixated on certain objects he wanted – a necklace,a ring – both indigenous in flavor. He wanted to see the dances as well,but felt strong calling to get these items. I realized this was a perfect setting to get these things,so afterwards he can focus on the spirit. He was tuning in,and checking in. His wanting then evolved to the bells the dancers were wearing,a young child in particular,around the ankles. He was doing the dance on our way to look for the bells. Dancing:the Indians in the dancing ring,and Carl in the vendor aisles.

I was asked how one can support “Indigo” Children. I think back to the flight to California with my son Carl. June 24,2009:

While reading a collection of stories of tribal wisdom, I had good stuff to share with Carl about:spirit,ancient wisdom,reincarnation,connection with Nature,tribal/clan connections with Self,dreamwork….all stuff like that.

I was wanting to share with him some of the wisdom, to tune in,especially on the outset of this spiritual journey to native land and people;I waited for him to put the book down.

Carl in turn suggested that I read part of his book.

He was so excited about his story,he glowed. I thought:How can I ask him to put away something bringing him that kind of joy?

I decide to give him more time to read.

Finally he says,“Mamy,you really should read some of this. Here,read from here…..to here,” as he points out some 20 pages. I looked at him for seriousness – he had it. I thought to humor him,at best mildly support him,I accepted his book and at least began to read. He was pleased,and excited for me. Sweet.

So it was the right thing to do. I began the 20-page trek. I read 3 sentences and stopped,looked at him grasping for reality as mine was being tested. His story was sounding like mine. But it was about cats. Cats. His face glowed in the sharing and he leaned his head on my shoulder in expectation and anticipation of my continuance.

I did.

Three pages later I was in awe and right on cue he asked,“What do you think?”

I worked to shift focus to smile at him and answer,“It’s great.”

A few more pages,I was in near disbelief.

Of course,right at that time he asks,“Do you like it?” Hmmm,so much he was now annoying me by asking. Shift again because he deserved to witness the reality,big smile for him,let it out:“I love it!”

Having confirmed what he had suspected all along and leaving him fulfilled,I could now disregard any further intrusions on my reading space,now a journey of my own,discovering a story of equal sentiment,wisdom,and reality…about Cats! And every element of what I had just been reading in my own book,a summary of my own beliefs in different stories and books,was represented in Carl’s book:These cats gained lifetimes by cat ancients coming to them in dreams as dreamwork.

This boy doesn’t need any help with the material…he’s found his own way. I am now with less ego further understanding that my role is only to support him,and provide for him that which a child can’t logistically provide for himself. What a relief…this is too easy!

We then looked at my collected clippings,focusing mostly on the pictures,and Carl shared his translations of several of the medicine wheels. The ideas and thoughts flowed at a rapid rate and he was quite specific – about the elements of Nature,of human traits,of the sun and moon and the 4 directions. Although I cannot confirm any of the ideas he shared,they made sense to me! And instead of feeling like I was allowing his interpretations,I felt like I was being taught! It was beautiful,remarkable and inspiring.

So,how to raise “Indigo” children? I realized that just in asking the question,the intention creates the support and empowers you – and me – it empowers the children.

As we continue our focus,working together,to facilitate moving civilization towards a more natural way of living on this beautiful planet,our next meeting is scheduled for this Thursday,June 3rd,6pm at Kolealea

To the Elders in our Children’s lives:

This is about their path. It is not necessarily about our path although it might be similar, it is about their own path. It is about God,but not necessarily the way some might view God,or that they use the name God. They may use the name God,they may use Buddha,or Krishna,or Massau. They may use them all,or none. It is about supporting whatever they call that which brings them strength and clarity,that which allows them to walk and live from the Heart,from the Spirit,their Spirit.

If it is true that each one of us has come into this life for a purpose,then I will leave it to them to determine,or remember,what that purpose is. It may take them a lifetime to do that;it may take them only a year;they may know already even if unable to put it into words. With appropriate guidance we trust in them completely to figure it out! With appropriate guidance we trust that when they fall,they will pick themselves up,or reach out for assistance to then pick themselves up,or continue until the lesson they have yet to learn is learned.

Clearly boundaries are necessary in order to develop the right habits of right behavior towards each other and themselves – respectful,cautious when prudent to be so,appreciative,and communicative. We hope we are doing a good job of setting those boundaries,adhering to them,and living them to ensure that we are providing the example of the same.

You have much to offer to them,to our children as well as to the children of the world.

I believe we are all in agreement about “right habits” and “right behavior”,which is why we consider you an asset in our lives,in our children’s lives,which will include their memories long after we’ve all transitioned out of this lifetime. The thread of your energy will go far,and live long…

It is important for us to select Elders for our children,other than the people they know as their grandparents,so that they can become comfortable with the notion of choosing Elders. Since the age at which they may be having children may not allow for direct contact with the actual grandparents (Don and I included) of those children for a long enough period of time,we wish for the task of choosing Elders to become a normal practice for them.

Here are the Elders Carl and Christopher (our sons) have been born into,the Grandparents:

Elisa – “Abuelita”

Walter – “Wally”

Sandy – “Nonnie”

Juanita

The other,chosen,Elders:

Mark – “Grandpa Mark”

Marylin – “Grandma Marylin”

Karl – “Big Karl”

Marcella

Dan

Jill

Anna

Greg

We are so grateful for your presence in their lives – we love you,and we thank you.